From Here to Eternity
by Ebony's Silver
Summary: The Story of Amanda Grayson from birth to death. How did a human capture a Vulcan heart? Mature Content in later chapters.
1. Begining Records

-Patient Records Input-J.K. Arnolds, Receiving Desk

2200.053- Langsden County Hospital Records-Time code: 0235.12

Receiving Nurse: Iris Vanguard, R.N.

On Call Doctor: David McCoy, M.D.

Patient: Vanessa May Walker

Reason for Admission: Went into labor roughly two hours ago at home

Patient 27 weeks pregnant, went into labor at about 1215 was then driven from Palm, 2 hours away. Patient in labor upon admittance, dilated to a 5, doctor on call: David McCoy attending. No previous problems with pregnancy...minor medical records (see file 24563-walker2756).

Time code: 0325.42-patient fully dilated after being administered labor preventative Tenphalyte 5, can no longer hold off labor…child will have to be delivered. Potential risk to mother: 24.12% Potential risk to fetus: 68.7%

Time code: 0503.03-intial patient pulled through birthing with minor problems: slight bleeding, tearing, and discomfort. Secondary patient on full life support rushed to NICU: Lungs underdeveloped even after receiving CA4, heart failure imminent, brain development undetermined, kidney failure, renal failure, nervous system unresponsive. Potential death of mother: 2.78% Potential death of infant: 98.86%

-Birth record input-David McCoy, M.D., Delivery

Name: Amanda Sookira Grayson Weight: 2 lbs. 3oz. Length: 10 ½ inch. Eye color: Hazel Hair Color: Black

Mother's Name: Vanessa May Walker Father's Name: Marcus Victus Grayson Date: 2200.053 Time: 0445.32

-Patient Records Input-David McCoy, M.D., Delivery

2200.053-Langsden County Hospital Records-Time code: 0619.55

Receiving Nurse: Millicent Michelson, R.N.

On Call Doctor: Patrick Franks, M.D.

Patient: Amanda Sookira Grayson

Reason for admission: Born.

Born 13 weeks premature, unexpected to make it through the night. Patient on full life support in NICU…attending doctor: Craig Mortensen. Multiple organ failure, underdeveloped, patient has developed Rikers Disease and according to computer readouts has a 99.74% chance of dying, which in my opinion is bull…patient shows signs of responding to Teramont will continue to monitor…case will not be entirely handed over to Doctor Mortensen, nor doctor Franks.

Time code: 1124.17-patient appears to be making a slow recovery, but it is a recovery. Patient now responding to CA4, lungs beginning to show measurable improvement, heart failure is no longer an immediate issue, renal failure reversed successfully, kidneys still in poor shape.

Note to Research department: Contact Hospital Network and inform of effectiveness of Teramont in human infant

Note to Tech Department: Computer contains glitch even with improvements in patient, computer still reports a 98.21% chance of death within the week…fix it or I'm going to handwrite out all of my records, prescriptions, and notes.

2200.254- Time code: 1540.20-Patient released…see Dr. Franks, Dr. Abalon, Dr. Richards, and Dr. Mortensen's records regarding patient treatment and recovery. (Entry input by Iris Vanguard, R.N. -Doctor McCoy is no longer using the network)

Note to Tech Department: You should have fixed the computer…even if it wasn't broken.

-I deleted chapter 2 because of a lot of corrections needed as well as the fact I didn't particularly care for it after I posted it…sorry, I'll try to have a better chp 2 up soon


	2. Chapter 1: Palm

Palm contained only one road, one long deserted dirt road. Many referred to it as the road to nowhere, they weren't wrong; the road ended at the junction of three fields owned by three separate families, each despising the road's existence and always calculating the amount of increase to crop yields they would receive if it didn't exist. Of course those calculations were always based on only one of the families owning that two and a third wide break in the endless sea of crops that covered the land. However, between that disputed dead end and the turn off from Riverside lay the town of Palm.

Palm wasn't anything more than a point on a map that marked the beginning of almost 6,000 acres of pure farmland, mostly dominated by crops rather than livestock. A single dirt road with a couple turn offs to different farms and ranches. Despite these facts Palm was an official town thanks to a local smarmy politician that wanted more votes his way back before the Eugenics War. After the war the newly formed government had too much on it's hands to do much about it and Palm remained the smallest and least populated town in North America, if not the world.

The old government (before the EW) had certain requirements of towns, they had to have a post office, a police station, a fire station, a town hall (including the bureaucracy of such an establishment), and a public school building that had to provide education at least to 9th grade. All these great requirements made a huge mess for everyone; half the construction projects were stopped when the war broke out and the other half lost their use after the old government fell. The fire station stood abandoned, becoming a much used play area for the local children. The half completed combined town hall and police station were retrofitted into a local trade post of sorts where anyone could bring what they wanted to get rid of and try to get what they needed without having to take the two hour drive all the way over to Riverside.

The schoolhouse was the only place that remained used in its original intention, well close enough. Parents had organized a home school based group school that was allowed under the 2175 Charter for Localized Education and then later continued as a result of the Department of Education being reduced to nothing more than a group of third party regulators who offered stamps of approval for meeting certain requirements, in essence it offered an alternative to actual home schooling provided you contribute to either teaching, building upkeep, or feeding the kids.

Aside from that there wasn't much to Palm, the whole area was devoted to crops with a few building here and there for workers and processing. There were only 6 families who actually owned the land the rest of the thirty-three members of the populous were those that worked for those families. News travelled fast around here and the only true town was a two hours drive east on a road that hadn't been updated since horse and buggy were the main form of transport, Palm was as small a place as you could get in this day and age of the ever expanding.

It was here, in this middle of nowhere that the Walker family had made their home. For ten generations the Walkers had farmed the northeast fields of the area known as Palm, they worked their land and did their best to remain as self sufficient as possible, eventually they made a name for themselves. Everyone wanted Walker Farms produce and Dairy, but then the war. The Family had sold off half of the fields they had originally worked and hunkered down like almost everyone else in Palm. Many called them cowards or traitors, but they kept on going and they survived. After the dust had settled much of the land around their farms was abandoned and soon returned to family that had sold it off ears prior. Soon Walker became known again, if only locally. Other families came and settled the land again and Palm flourished. Even with all their workers the Walker family still farmed their land themselves. A family motto was born out of their ethic, Hard Work Grows Strong Values.

It was this history that Jenner Walker wanted to keep alive in his children. His oldest Franklin was his heir and hope once, but the boy had a flighty heart and had flown away to college to 'discover' himself; lost. His second child, Vanessa, was not currently in better state. Having had a summer fling with some Starfleet officer, his cherished daughter had had a child without a father (or even a mother for that mater) and the babe was sick, but miraculously alive; poor dove. His third and final hope was extremely young, Richard. A child of his last wife the boy was 15 and just as flighty of heart as his older brother; repeated history.

Jenner was at a lose, but he had to hope that Rich would outgrow his rebelliousness in time, if not he might have to look towards one of his brothers' children for someone to take over the family business. The future was still far enough away and there was still time. He had other things to think about, one of those things was barely 6 months old and needed all the help she could get.

Stardate: 2200.246 (September 1st, 2200)

Location: Palm, Langsden County, Iowa

It was a Sunday morning when they went to retrieve the newest addition to their family, Amanda Sookira Grayson. A babe of a little over 6 months from the time of her birth, but hardly any bigger than a 2 month old. In her short life she had faced death and won, but she was still weak and needed constant care. With that knowledge in hand Jenner made the decision that Vanessa and her daughter would live with him and his wife at the old house until the babe could be cared for like any other.

He had been surprised at how small she was when he first held her and yet there was something in her eyes, those beautiful colorful eyes that spoke of a strength not seen. Jenner was raised to be hard man like his father and though he loved all his children he never took much interest in their early childhoods. It usually wasn't until they could some pull their own weight around that he got involved and then it was only to merit out discipline. But in this moment with this little bundle something changed. Jenner felt the corners of his lips twitch up into a smile and he felt a connection to this little girl that he had never had with his own children, he'd never understand why it all changed with her.

Once home Jenner set to work on moving his new granddaughter into the old nursery and Vanessa into his and Mol's room, while they moved to one of the larger guest rooms. The Walkers weren't exactly in money, most of what they had was tied into land, crops, and farming equipment. At the end of the year they were breaking 30,000 credits, which definitely nothing to sniff at, but half of that was usually reinvested into the farm through some new equipment, employees, or project that Jenner had started for the year. They had more than enough to provide for their family, college, and a decent sized house, but it never seemed to be quite enough to keep him from worrying. As it stood if a single field of crops failed they would have nothing for the year and would have to dig into their saving to keep a float. Due to this there was always great fear in Jenner, he had nightmares sometimes of half the fields dying…such a tragedy would ruin the farm.

He shook himself out of such thoughts, it would be no use dwelling on if's and might's. Things would be different; he could feel it every time he looked at Amanda in her crib he felt hope and happiness he hadn't felt in years.


	3. Chapter 2: Rain

**Stardate: 2200**

_Location: Palm, Langsden County, Iowa_

A few sort months after being brought home Amanda was thriving. She had gone from a sickly little thing that needed constant monitoring to plucky 9 month-old that would disappear the moment your eyes left her. Jenner was impressed with the fast rate at which Amanda was catching up to other children her age. She had grown quite a bit, while still quite small for her age, she had surpassed earlier expectations and was now in line with most 8 month-olds. Even though she had been in the hospital for her first six months of life she had never been shy or quiet. Amanda had spoken her first word at a little under 5 months and was now forming sentences; she couldn't go a minute without talking about something.

With the improvements to Amanda's health Vanessa decided to reapply to the academy in Chicago. She'd previously pursued a career in dance; it had been her greatest passion. Tristan Academy had accepted her three years earlier, but a summer vacation home and a June romance later Vanessa had left the academy after discovering she was pregnant knowing it would get in the way of her dancing. But, now with Amanda much healthier and growing bigger everyday Vanessa had a chance to get back. The academy had said they'd be happy to have her back, though she'd have to go through the application process again. Vanessa was still worried that with all that she had been through with the pregnancy and the health scares with Amanda, she wasn't sure she'd be able to pass the audition, but she would try.

Jenner was happy that his daughter was trying to get back to where she'd been; he always admired her determination and had been sad and disappointed when she had put her dreams on hold. He always had a soft spot for his daughter, though he never took much interest in his children when they were children he held a special place for her. He'd never pushed her toward the family business like he had his sons, an archaic ideal he knew, but it was part of who he was. Though he'd never tell her, he was waiting on hope that she's be accepted back to the academy.

Two days after Christmas Vanessa left the family house in search of her dream once again. Amanda was being left in the care of her father and his wife Mol while she was away. In three days time she would have an entrance audition, five days after that they would either accept her or not and that would be that. Vanessa was hopeful as she drove away with memories of the stage on her mind.

Amanda seemed to know her mom was going away for a while. Mol had a terrible time trying to comfort the girl. She'd wake up in the middle of the night screaming for her mother and there was very little that could be done about it. Jenner always felt tightness in his chest when she cried, tightness he had never felt with his own children. How could this one little girl change so much about him? She meant so much to him, if anything happened to her...no he would not think of such things.

Three days into Vanessa's trip a most welcomed visitor arrived, Rich. Richard, Jenner's youngest had been away at Pelmet Academy for Art and Drama. The school was located in Kentucky and as a result the boy had to board there during the school year and only came home for holidays and breaks. Rich had only met Amanda through comm calls and secondhand through his parents, but despite this Amanda took to him almost instantly. His niece already showed signs of a fiery spirit and an eagerness to achieve that reminded him a lot of his sister. With Rich in the house Amanda seemed to take her mother's absence better, she slept through most nights and woke up to days of fun with her uncle.

When Vanessa came back from her trip to Chicago they'd all known it had not gone well. But, it turned out it had not gone terrible either. The academy had been impressed with Vanessa, but they had few spots available and so she was placed on a waiting list. Next season her file would be reviewed, she'd have another audition (this time it didn't need to be in person), and she'd be accepted so long as her skill kept up or improved. She was disappointed, but at least she'd gotten her foot in the door.

**Stardate: 2201**

_Location: Palm, Langsden County, Iowa_

With all the of Amanda's improvements over the past year it was time for Jenner and his wife to get their house back, especially with Rich moving back in for the summer. He'd suggested a small area of the Walker property for Vanessa and Amanda to move into. It was a small farm that the family had purchased five years back and they'd had little use for the main property outside the fields it had sold with. Vanessa accepted it as she was not working and would have to wait almost a year and a half to see if she got back into the academy. In the meantime she would fix up the place and keep up with her dancing to keep her performing to the best of her abilities.

The house was quite small as farmhouses went, it had been built in the 1920s and was still standing. There had been renovations over the years to keep the structure from crumbling underfoot and to add in some updated technology. The tech was kept subtle and restricted to necessities like a comm system and habit controls everything else had been kept to the style of the period it was built, mostly. Vanessa could see places in the house that had been updated to other times, but the updating to style never seemed to go beyond the 20th century.

It was still in good shape even though it had stood empty and abandoned for five years. Most small places like this were usually torn down as the property was purchased for the land and not the structures there. But, for some reason this place had not been, when she had questioned her father he simply said he'd overlooked it due to its position on the outer corner of the entirety of the Walker Farm. Vanessa liked that it was in the back away from anyone else. People had always surrounded her since she was little, now as an adult she gravitated towards solitude. With Amanda she'd never be truly alone, a thought that would come to haunt her.

It took only two months to get the house to where she wanted it to be. Vanessa kept to the original style as best she could, while still having all the technological advancements a home had in this day. She'd taken one of the rooms downstairs and converted into a dance studio with some of the money she'd saved up from monthly budgets from her father. The room was perfect and she loved that it was out of the way enough that hardly anyone could bother her. Her dreams were so close she already saw herself back on the stage with applause all around her, in those dreams she'd never left.

**Stardate: 2202-2203**

_Location: Palm, Langsden County, Iowa_

For a little over a year Amanda and her mother lived in the little house at the edge of the farm and things had been good. Amanda had made vast improvements and was now learning well ahead of others her age. Her grandfather would always tell her how smart he thought she was and how she'd soon be giving them all a run for their money. Her mother, however, never praised her. Vanessa would smile and say 'good' or 'that's nice', but Amanda always felt something under those words, something she had no name for. Her mother was never mean to her, but over the last year she seemed to have grown distant.

Vanessa spent most of her days practicing in the dance studio she'd set up in the extra room downstairs leaving Amanda to herself. She never ignored Amanda, but her dancing was important. Vanessa needed to get back to academy and to do that she practiced everyday. Jenner had noticed his daughter distancing herself from Amanda, but he knew how much the dancing meant to her. He always thought that once she made it to the academy things would be different, so he never confronted her about it.

To give Amanda some much needed attention Jenner came over at least 3 or 4 times a week to see how things were going even though it was just an excuse to see Amanda. She always looked forward to his visits and now walking, she'd rush him at the door. He'd pick her up and say she should go to the races and they'd both laugh. Amanda had brought out the best in Jenner and he'd be damned if anything changed that. She was continuing to grow up fast, she was still small for her age but no one worried much about it.

Amanda would sit out in the big window with the built-in seats in the front of the house and wait for her grandfather. He'd walk up the path through the gate and to the door always smiling at her in the window. She'd always know when he was on his way even when she couldn't see him driving up yet, something in her always knew. Jenner came at the same time on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and sometimes Saturdays; he never missed a day with his Amanda.

Then there came a day when he hadn't come. She'd known the moment she woke up, but she went to her window anyway. All day she waited, passing up breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Her mother said he might have been busier than usual, if true why hadn't he called? She went to bed that night dreaming of rain and sadness. The next day she woke up extra early and went to the window, it was raining. She waited again looking for him. The rain kept coming and she kept waiting, she didn't notice that her mother hadn't come downstairs all day. As the sun was setting Vanessa finally came down and hugged Amanda to her. As young as she was Amanda didn't understand why he hadn't come, why he'd never come again. But, she'd always remember the rain and way her mother's tears felt against her skin.

It was still raining when they lowered the box into the ground, the box they'd put her grandfather in. She still didn't understand why he had to sleep in the ground, every time someone tried to explain it to her they cried and she'd ask if they were hurt…you only cry when you're hurt. Words were spoken, she understood them to a point, but they seemed to mean something else as everyone who talked would cry or choke up. When the dirt went over the box fear tore its way through her, she didn't understand why, but something inside her knew.

"Don't!" She screamed and rushed the men with the shovels. "Stop it!" They wouldn't listen. Someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her back. "No!" Why were they doing this? If they put dirt over him how could he get out, why wouldn't they listen? Strong arms pulled her away, a face in the rain.


End file.
